WORLD - The African Mirror

Nov

20

2020

HK people detained in China send ‘doubtful’ letters from prison -families

WORLD

JESSIE PANG FAMILY members of some of the 12 Hong Kong people arrested by China at sea in August said on Thursday they have received their first letters from them, but they were suspicious of the praise for how well they have been treated in prison. The 12 were arrested as they tried to flee by boat to Taiwan, with most of them suspected of crimes related to last year's often-violent pro-democracy protests, and have since been detained in the neighbouring Chinese mainland city of Shenzhen. In a joint statement, families of seven of the detainees said their lawyers, chosen…

Nov

20

2020

By The African Mirror

U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations rise by nearly 50% in 2 weeks, ushering in new shutdowns

WORLD

ANURAG MAAN and GABRIELLA BORTER THE number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States has jumped nearly 50% in the last 14 days, straining the nation's healthcare system and forcing states to impose new restrictions to curb the alarming spread of the coronavirus. Nearly 79,000 people in the United States were hospitalized with the virus on Thursday, a Reuters tally shows, the most at any time during the pandemic, following sharp rises in infection rates around the country and particularly the Midwest. New social restrictions aimed at slowing community spread and lowering the infection rate were taking effect…

Nov

19

2020

By The African Mirror

French court rules against Clint Eastwood testifying in train attack trial

WORLD

A French court has ruled that Clint Eastwood cannot testify during the trial of a suspected Islamist gunman, whose attack on a high-speed train was thwarted by three Americans, who later played themselves in a movie by the U.S. actor and director. The trial of Moroccan national Ayoub El Khazzani, who opened fire aboard a Thalys train travelling through Northern Europe in August 2015, started on Monday in Paris. Ayoub El Khazzani, the suspect in the French train attack, faces attempted murder and other charges as he is brought to court blindfolded and barefoot. Khazzani's lawyer had asked before the…

Nov

19

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO says vaccinating 20% of Latin America and Caribbean to cost more than $2 billion

WORLD

ANTHONY BOADLE VACCINATING 20% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean against COVID-19 will cost more than $2 billion but low-income countries will be helped by the COVAX Facility led by the World Health Organization, its regional branch said on Wednesday. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), COVAX aims to deploy at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. "This is a remarkable figure. But we also know that it won't be sufficient to vaccinate everyone, at least not at first," , PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said. PAHO is working…

Nov

19

2020

By The African Mirror

Like Biden, U.S. Republican report urges international cooperation on China

WORLD

PATRICIA ZENGERLE and DAVID BRUNNSTORM TWO months before President Donald Trump is due to leave office, the Republican leader of a U.S. Senate committee has issued a report urging Washington to work closely with allies in Europe to counter the threat posed by China. The outgoing Republican president, who failed in his re-election bid against Democratic challenger Joe Biden, took a tough line on China, but often acted unilaterally and offended allies in Europe and Asia by accusing them of freeloading on defence and browbeating them to follow U.S. policy. Biden, due to take office on January 20, has spoken…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

About 150 nations due to deliver stronger climate plans in 2020, tracker shows

WORLD

MEGAN ROWLING MORE than three-quarters of countries have indicated they will make stronger commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change by the end of 2020, despite the economic strain of the coronavirus pandemic, a new tracker has shown. According to the tool, launched by the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) of developing countries, 151 governments have confirmed their intention to meet a U.N. deadline to raise their targets to cut planet-warming emissions over the next decade. Of those, 120 nations affirmed they would submit updated climate action plans since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, suggesting they are aiming for…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Saudis seek buffer zone with Yemen in return for ceasefire – sources

WORLD

AZIZ EL YAAKOUBI SAUDI Arabia has told Yemen's Houthis in high-level back-channel talks it would sign a UN proposal for a nationwide ceasefire if the Iran-aligned group agrees to a buffer zone along the kingdom's borders, three sources familiar with the matter said. If a deal is struck, it would mark the biggest breakthrough in efforts to reach a political settlement since the conflict - widely seen as a proxy war between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran - began in 2014. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden pledged in his election campaign to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's…

Nov

18

2020

By The African Mirror

Biden names top campaign staff, U.S. congressman to White House roles

WORLD

TREVOR HUNNICUTT and JAMES OLIPHANT US President-elect Joe Biden has named several top advisers from his election campaign and a Democratic congressman as senior White House aides, sticking with a tight inner circle as he transitions to the White House. Biden is focused on preparing to take over the presidency on January 20, despite President Donald Trump's increasingly tenuous effort to reverse the outcome of the November 3 election. Biden presidential campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon, the first woman to lead a winning Democratic presidential bid, will be named deputy chief of staff, Biden said in a statement released by…

Nov

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Police in Bangladesh launch all-woman team to fight digital abuse

WORLD

NAIMUL KARIM BANGLADESHI police have launched an all-woman unit to tackle a rise in online abuse and harassment targeting women, the country's police chief said, as authorities seek to address growing public concern about gender-based violence. Police hope the unit will encourage more women to come forward to report digital abuse including so-called revenge porn, the hacking of their social media accounts and online threats from blackmailers. "We have different teams working with cyber crime in the police... but many (women) don't want to approach these areas, that's why we have created an all-woman team," said Benazir Ahmed, inspector general…

Nov

17

2020

By The African Mirror

With spotlight on the economy, Biden confers with leaders of corporate America

WORLD

TREVOR HUNNICUTT and DOINA CHIACU BUOYED by further progress in COVID-19 vaccine development, President-elect Joe Biden planned on Monday to consult with the CEOs of top U.S. companies and labour leaders before making a speech on reviving the nation's pandemic-battered economy. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were due to hold a midday conference call with several chief executives including General Motors Co's Mary Barra, Microsoft Corp's Satya Nadella, Target Corp's Brian Cornell and Gap Inc's Sonia Syngal. Also scheduled to take part, according to Biden's transition team, were AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and the heads of the Service Employees…